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Google has 21 outside firms on retainer and spent nearly $9 million on lobbying during the first half of 2012, according to Senate lobbying reports.

The move to cut outside ranks comes about seven months into Susan Molinari's tenure as head of the tech giant's Washington office. The former Republican New York lawmaker was brought on in March. Google continues to face increasingly harsh scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators on privacy and antitrust issues.

A Google spokeswoman confirmed to POLITICO that the company is revisiting its strategy under new leadership. The Google rep stressed that the company reevaluates its D.C. balance sheet in the fourth quarter of every year — a process that, this year, coincides with the 2012 election.

But sources familiar with the situation say that it’s more than just a year-end government affairs reevaluation. One lobbyist said that Google has begun telling consultants whether they will keep them on retainer, just at a lower rate, or give them 30 days’ notice on their contracts.

"Google always said it was different, and they were going to behave differently in Washington. But they made the exception, went ahead, did the usual, and hired a bunch of consultants. Clearly it didn't work for them," said another tech lobbyist.

In 2011, the company hired 19 new lobbying shops as it faced heightened antitrust scrutiny. Google had just two terminations in 2011, severing contracts with Van Ness Feldman and Crowell Strategies, according to Senate lobbying reports.

So far this year, two firms — Tuggey Fernandez and WilmerHale — reported terminations during the first half of the year.

This article first appeared on POLITICO Pro at 1:50 p.m. on September 19, 2012.